In The Beginning
by Ca1piggy
Summary: Follow the origins of the first elite team that saved civilization from the Black Dragon to learn how they are reconstituted 1000 years later to save civilization again. The story is told from multiple perspectives. A couple knowledgeable members of the Wiki provided a lot of feedback while Chapter 1 was developed.
1. Chapter 1

In The Beginning (I do not own DanMachi)

Chapter 1

1000 years ago, civilization was in great peril with the appearance of the Black Dragon with enormous powers. Perhaps its most horrible power was a horrible mind-control magic that could command the most powerful monsters and even corrupt the Great elemental spirits whom protected civilization. At least one Great spirit was corrupted.

With the establishment of the Falna system by the gods, civilization had a number of champions to protect itself. An elite team consisting of King Albert, Aria the Great Wind Spirit, Celdia the Elf Queen, the Pallum general, the Beast Human leader, the Dwarf leader and an Amazoness princess, ended the Black Dragon threat. With the sealing of the Black Dragon, its minions went into hiding, hoping for the eventual return of their master.

While the dragon was defeated, it was at a very high price. All members of the team perished. Due to the emergency situation, the god of time, Cronos, trapped the Black Dragon and the entire dying team in a time stasis within a timeless dimension. To protect the future, Ais, the mysterious illegal child of Albert and Aria, was separately put in suspended animation. Ais is critical as she absorbed her dying mother's Great Wind Spirit essence.

With the threat eliminated, civilization prospered for 1000 years under the Falna system. However, about 50 years ago, a group of angry gods started a rebellion due to their loss in prestige and power. As part of their strategy and revenge, they weakened the time stasis spell. This allowed the souls of the Black Dragon and the elite team to slowly escape the timeless dimension.

As a result, the Black Dragon was reborn 15 years ago. The dragon took control of two powerful monsters, Behemoth and Leviathan, and initiated its attack. At that time, the Zeus familia and the Hera familia, were able to defeat the Behemoth and the Leviathan. The Black Dragon was also stopped but again at a great cost - the destruction of the Zeus familia and the Hera familia. Although the Black Dragon was stopped, it escaped. It has since been slowly recovering and gathering strength for its revenge. Its minions again went into hiding to prepare for the next great war.

To gather the forces of good, the gods guided the reconstituted souls of the original elite team to be reincarnated under the most advantageous situations. The soul of King Albert was in particular reincarnated as the son of the former leader of the Zeus Familia along with a key missing element in order to address the original team's biggest shortcomings. The new Great Wind Spirit, Ais, was slowly brought out of the shock from suspended animation. She was then secretly put under the care of the Loki Familia. The stage is set for the next great war.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

About 50 years ago, the angry gods of the rebellion weakened the time stasis spell that confined the Black Dragon and the dying Elite team. As a result, the their souls started to slowly escape from the timeless dimension. This news caused a great alarm in heaven as the gods knew that the Black Dragon will soon return.

The gods also knew that the souls of the Elite team were also slowly escaping from stasis, and they worked diligently to expedite the reconstitution of the team members' souls. The goal was to guide these souls to be reincarnated under the most advantageous situations. After the new team members were ready for adventure, the plan was to steer them to the Loki familia. The key to the Lokia familia was Riveria Ljos Alf, the strongest mage in Orario.

At the same time, the gods started to bring Ais, the new Great Wind Spirit, out of suspended animation. This was a very difficult task. If they thaw Ais' body incorrectly, they were concerned that the essence of the Great Wind Spirit may leave her body. As a result, there was much trial and error in the process.

The souls of the Dwarf leader and the Pallum general were the first to reconstitute. The Dwarf soul was reincarnated as Gareth, the 1st son in the Landrock family. Beyond feats of great strength, the Landrock name is actually synonymous with magic use. Their success in adventuring also brought them substantial wealth. As a result, Gareth was well educated in fighting skills as well as the magic arts.

The Pallum soul was reincarnated as Finn, the 3rd son in the noble Deimne family. The Deimne family is renowned for their intelligence and cool demeanor during combat. They were also active in several efforts to bring hope to the Pallums after it became known that their 'goddess' Fiona did not exist. These contributions were greatly valued by the Pallum race. When Finn went to Orario, several events took place that helped guide him to the Loki Familia. The gods eagerly monitored his performance during the battle on the 27th floor. They were very pleased as Finn demonstrated his sound judgment and willingness to act, as he attacked the Evilus bases instead of falling for Evilus' tricks.

Despite the early success with the souls of the Pallum and the Dwarf, a long time passed without any more souls reconstituted. This brought great consternation, as many suspected that something was interfering with the process. Compounding their concerns was the continued setbacks trying to bring Ais out of suspended animation. Beyond Riveria, the two most critical team members were Albert and Ais, but there was no choice but wait patiently. Although with no bad news about the Black Dragon after 25 years, there was apparently still time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As a few more year passed, there was much rejoicing after the Beast Human's soul reconstituted. The soul was reincarnated as Bete, the 1st pup in the Loga family. The Loga family's bravery in battle is well known in the Beast Human race. In particular, warriors from the family have displayed great speed and agility, while maintaining the ferociousness befitting members of the race. Bete is known to be the most aggressive from the family, though some attribute that to angst from his bad luck with women. The rumor is that Bete was apparently so nervous around females that he acted like a scared bunny. He often ran away at incredible velocity when he got nervous.

The Amazoness soul reconstituted after another 2 years. Due to the unfortunate circumstances in Telskyura, a good stable family was not available. Thus, parents with good fighting histories were instead chosen. A pleasant surprise occurred when two sisters, Tione and Tiona, were born after reincarnation. No one understood how that happened, but no one complained since they got two for the price of one. Given the horrible conditions of their upbringing, a lot of coincidences had to take place before they left the Bali familia and headed for Orario. They really livened up life in the Loki familia.

The Elf queen soul reconstituted 15 years ago. The soul was reincarnated as Leifya, the second daughter in the Viridis family with a reputation for being able to use numerous magic spells. She joined the Loki familia shortly after finishing school as an honor student. Her potential was obvious, as many predicted that Leifya will be the eventual successor to Riveria. It was hoped that Leifya would fulfill her promise to match or even surpass Riveria.

Since Albert's soul had not fully reconstituted, the original strategy was in doubt. If Albert was reincarnated too late, would he be able to help in the battle? How would he lead the team if he had five years or ten years or twenty years less experience than the others? Along with the uncertainty regarding Ais' situation, the gods acted on additional contingency planning. This included developing a number of new techniques to expedite the development of the reincarnated Albert in addition to looking into combined-effect attacks based on synchronizing team members' abilities. For example, wind and fire could make a devastating combination.

At the same time, there were rumors of the Black Dragon's minions becoming more active. As a result, a number of scouting parties were sent to gather information on what was going on. Some were also concerned that the minions were coordinating their actions with Evilus, especially with the events on the dungeon's 27th floor.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Unfortunately, the Black Dragon was reborn shortly after the birth of Leifya. The dragon took control of two powerful monsters, Behemoth and Leviathan, and initiated its attack. At that time, the Zeus familia and the Hera familia, were able to defeat the Behemoth and the Leviathan. The Black Dragon was also stopped but again at a horrific cost - the destruction of the Zeus familia and the Hera familia.

Furthermore, the Black Dragon was only stopped but not destroyed. The gods knew that it escaped and was slowly regenerating. It was also scheming a new plan while gathering strength for its revenge. Due to the urgency, even more effort was undertaken to reconstitute Albert's soul. At the same time, even more resources were also devoted to free Ais from suspended animation.

One year later, King Albert's soul finally reconstituted. The soul was reincarnated as Bell, the son of the former leader of the Zeus Familia. With some new magic knowledge, the gods were able to endow Bell with a missing element in order to address the original team's biggest shortcomings. It was also decided that Bell should receive more private and in-depth nurturing than possible in the large and busy Loki familia. Thus, Bell was brought up by Zeus himself as Bell's grandfather. Afterwards, Bell was guided to Hestia as her only familia member. Under Hestia, Bell received the non-stop, in-depth private nurturing needed to help him fully reach his potential.

A few years later, Ais, the new Great Wind Spirit was finally safely brought out of suspended animation. A special circumstance helped bring Ais to the Loki familia, thereby completing the painstaking effort to reunite the old team. Under the guidance and protection of Riveria, Finn and Loki, Ais developed quickly and also mastered her Great wind spirit powers. She became the record holder as she advanced to level 2 after only 1 year as a level 1 adventurer. Her rapid advance was due to her strong drive to improve as well as the undeniable innate talent.

As the key members progressed, the Loki familia started becoming extremely powerful. They were one of the elite groups with the skill and firepower needed adventure deeply into the dungeon.

Shortly after Bell joined Hestia, Ais met Bell. Ais was able to triggered Bell's special gift to activate, though with some unintended assistance from Bete. Surprisingly, neither Bell nor Ais understood what happened except they both felt feelings that they have not experienced before. Furthermore, with some telepathic nudging from Zeus and advice from Riveria, Ais and Bell developed a special relationship around a ritual practiced by older adventurers. This relationship was important for their seamless teamwork later on, as well as providing special nourishment for Bell's special abilities.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

For an unknown reason, Albert's soul reconstituted the latest. As a result, he was the youngest with the least experience. Thus, the original plan to reincarnate the elite team as the core fighting force had to be adjusted. To compensate for this situation, Bell Cranell received a tremendous amount personal attention and training from a paternal Zeus and then a maternal Hestia. A number of new techniques were also developed to accelerate his development. Since these techniques did not previously exist, the gods did quite a bit of research. This included reading manga from the human world for inspiration.

The most important of these techniques endowed Bell with a missing element in order to address the original team's biggest shortcomings. This special element harnessed strong feelings in order to uniquely focus and actually amplify his mental energies to achieve his goals and desires.

With this unique ability to gather his mental energies, Bell would be able to drive himself much harder and longer than normal human beings. Thus, if Bell has sufficient desire and motivation, then he would be able to improve his physical abilities and mental capacity at an astonishing unprecedented rate. His interactions with Ais and Bete provided the huge dam of strong emotions needed to activate and drive this ability. In support of this process, Hestia would continue to nurture Bell by providing a loving maternal environment for Bell to grow.

The same ability to gather his mental energies would also allow Bell to enhance his magic skills. As a result, for certain fast acting magic spells, he may be able to simply think about the spell verses instead of having to actually recite the verses. Thus, the speed of spell discharge would be basically spontaneous. This would provide an incredible advantage when trying to get his spell off before his opponent can respond. Of course, this advantage would potentially render his opponent's spells ineffective. The goddess Freya was responsible for identifying the appropriate magic spells that takes advantage of this talent.

The most astounding impact of the special element may be the ability to collect his internal energies over a short time period before releasing in an all-out 'hero-strike' attack. The attack could be physical or magical and discharged using a weapon, by spell or even with a punch. This would greatly increase the damage resulting from such an attack. With further training, Bell should be able to select the amount of time used for the energy collection. A short collection time would result in a lower 'charge', but can be used more often as less internal energies are used. With even more training, charging would be able to take place while he is moving, performing defensive maneuvers or performing other tasks. This would obviously be a significant advantage compared to having to stand still to focus specifically on the charging.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bell's ability to focus his feelings and amplify his mental energies would also provide a defense against mind-control tricks. This is critical against the Black Dragon. With practice, this ability would improve as it would for the other applications. The goddess Freya was also assigned with the task to train Bell in this aspect when the timing was appropriate. This would require continuous training for many days and nights in which Bell would need to withstand her magical charms. A great deal progress would be necessary. Initially, he was expected to completely fall victim to her power. However with enough repetition, Bell should learn to withstand her power by developing a tolerance to the power. One key to the training is the 'punishment' Freya would impose on Bell when he falls victim to her powers. Eventually with enough repetition, the goal would be for Bell to be able to 'reflect' those powers and perform a reverse-charm.

After Bell learns to withstand the mind control tricks, one-on-one training with the new Elite team would then be needed to extend this protective power to the team members. Training with each member must be one-on-one. For male members, male bonding events would increase the level of trust and mutual respect with each other through exercises such as arm wrestling and sparring. Fighting together against a strong common enemy should also accelerate this mind synchronization. For female members, a large reservoir of feelings need to be developed through bonding events that promote mutual understanding and emotional ties. Saving the team member from a really powerful opponent would greatly accelerate this synchronization. Great care must be taken to prevent jealousies between team members from going out of control. A moderate amount of jealousy would help drive the emotional content, while an out-of-control situation may affect the overall effectiveness of the team.

The link between Bell and Ais was the most critical, as they are anticipated to be the most important for defeating the Black Dragon. Beyond defense against mind-control tricks, their link would be important in achieving the strongest joint attacks. The stronger their link, the better their ability to synchronize joint discharges to achieve the most devastating results.

Furthermore, Ais was emotionally affected by her stasis and the many years spent to take her out of stasis. Thus, the amount of time and bonding needed was much higher for Ais than with everyone else. Hermes was put in charge of facilitating with this, particularly as Bell and Ais were completely inexperienced in bonding rituals. To expedite this, the most advanced training would eventually be conducted under the most emotionally-draining conditions. One possibility would be to induce the most embarrassing scenarios imaginable to build joint trust and understanding, as there would be no secrets remaining between the two of them. This would also further nourish Bell's special element that allows Bell to focus his mental energies.

After one-on-one training is completed, team activities would then commence that promote trust and emotional ties as a team.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

While the gods schemed to rapidly advance Bell Cranell's ability, gaining these benefits have other consequences. While they knew about the potential consequences, they simply did not care. In most cases, they actually looked forward to the consequences.

Freya was first responsible for magic spells that can take maximal advantage of Bell's mental enchanting talent. By eliminating the need to recite the spell, Bell would be able to attack the opponent before the opponent can finish casting a spell. Thus, the first priority was an offensive spell with good range of effect that would be useful against most opponents. For maximum damage, the spell needs to be compatible with hero's strike charging. The spell should also be based on an element that complements Ais' wind based powers. Freya eventually settled on firebolt, though a second attack magic may be needed in the event that fire-based magic does not work well on an opponent.

As hoped, Bell demonstrated the mental enchanting capability with firebolt, confirming that Freya's calculations were correct. The Freya familia also confirmed that firebolt's firepower was within expectations for his level. As Bell leveled, the gods were able to verify that the firepower of the spell continued to increase within expectations. Of utmost importance was verifying that the spell is able to deliver an extended-range hero strike when combined with charging. Finally, additional testing showed that with experience and leveling, short-term charging could also be used with firebolt. As a result, this first task was a complete success.

Freya is still deciding on a 2nd magic spell in the event that the opponent is immune from fire-based attacks. Ice and water are obvious options, though less common attacks are also being considered.

Freya was also responsible for training Bell to develop an immunity to the Black Dragon's mind-control powers. This would require very strenuous and continuous training for many day and nights. Freya would use her charm-based powers to desensitize Bell to this genre of powers. Once the relationship between Bell and Ais has reached a more dependable level, Freya plans to spend 1-2 weeks training Bell with Ottar's assistance. During that week, she will repeatedly charm him, and then apply 'punishment' to drive his resistance to her powers. She has considered several form of punishment, but in reality, most gods would beg for the same punishment from Freya.

Freya suspects that Bell will eventually develop tolerance to her powers and will even be able to reverse-charm her. Though she actually looks forward to the time when Bell actually has the upper-hand to see how he will act. Some suspect that Freya and Zeus have made a side-deal in which he would urge Bell to take full advantage of the situation.

Since Freya considers Albert's reincarnation worthy of her attention, she relishes performing this task. She has already made Bell aware of her presence by putting her continuous gaze on him. This generated a sense of mystery and mystique needed to advance to a more intimate level. She has also successfully tested her charm powers on him in a party.

There are serious side effects for the charm training, especially when combined with Hestia's maternal attention. In particular, Bell would start to exude more and more confidence with a strong sense of purpose. With this plan, his aura would start out like a helpless pet rabbit that needs to be protected but quickly transition to a confident powerful man given his rapid growth in fighting ability. As a result, Bell will likely receive a lot of attention from those who want to help a helpless pet, but those initially helping the helpless rabbit may quickly be captivated by his rapid growth.

Those caught up in this could become possessive with the amount of time and attention that Bell spends with others. This would be helpful in establishing important relations, and in the case of Ais, help fuel his emotions-based special element. However, if the resulting jealousies gets out of hand, it could lead to weakening bonds because emotions may be damaged by the competition for Bell.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

To optimize Bell's growth, his emotions must be carefully monitored and the necessary stimuli must be introduced to accelerate growth. The god Hermes was responsible for this area. He agreed to this task after meeting with Zeus because he is the most qualified for the job. His well-known skills in interpersonal relations would be relied on. The goal is to assure that Bell's relationships with Ais and others continue to enhance his development and the cohesiveness of the overall team.

The first priority was Bell's relationship with Ais, as strong emotions were the key to unlocking the missing element and the unprecedented astounding rate of growth. Initially, an 'accident' with a minotaur helped established the relationship in which Ais protected Bell like a baby rabbit. Fortunately, Bell quickly developed very strong emotions for Ais. However, much work was needed to ensure Ais would also develop the strong emotions needed for the situation to be self-sustaining and in fact mutually-reinforcing.

The plan started with certain visions that occurred to Ais during her dreams. These visions aroused her curiosity about Bell and how it related to her old self and her parents. The next step required several special arrangements with Riveria. The key was for Ais and Riveria to accidentally discover an unconscious Bell as a result of mind-zero from excessive magic use. Riveria would teach the inexperienced Ais to help Bell recover by performing a special ritual common for older adventurers. The lap pillow ritual was a huge success beyond expectations as Bell ran away from embarrassment when he awoke. This was incredibly fortuitous as Bell's 'rejection' caused Ais to desperately seek Bell's acceptance. After Bell's rejection, Riveria was again instrumental in driving Ais' emotions into a frenzy by teasing her publicly about the rejection. This all but guaranteed Ais' interest in the situation, which was consummated when Ais offered to train Bell for 1 week. This private training greatly improved Bell's skills. Furthermore, emotional bonds were greatly strengthened with the embraces needed to help the exhausted Bell to stand and walk, additional lap pillow rituals, joint sleep training, as well as other assistance from Zeus.

Instead of being the mastermind puppeteer behind the scenes, the next stage of development required Hermes' personal involvement. First, he guided Bell to an ideal location on the 18th floor to enjoy a perfect view of the bathing adventurers. Of course, this would be the first opportunity to remove the remaining barriers between Ais and Bell. In particular, the stunning view of Ais at the river left nothing to the imagination. Second, Hermes helped arranged for Bell and Ais to have their first dance together. Of course, he then arranged for others to interfere with the situation so that the intrigue of a forbidden relationship is not undercut. In preparation for further advancement, Hermes later tried to initiate Bell in more adult activities, and even provided him with an aphrodisiac to assist with his nervousness. It would really have been helpful if Bell gained more experience in life, but this particular attempt did not pan out.

Hermes continues to build up Bell's relationship with Ais and other team members, but has to walk a tight-rope because of the concern for feelings getting out of control. Thus far, Hermes has been quite successful, as Bell is rapidly advancing, while his relationships are working out. However, additional plans need to be executed to continue the progress needed to achieve the absolutely largest power output when synchronizing for mutual discharges.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

In addition to managing Bell's critical relationship with Ais, Hermes was also responsible for optimizing Bell's relationship with the other team members. The initial coincidence that allowed the team to view Bell's heroic fight with the minotaur was a massive success, as the team members instantly gained tremendous respect for Bell's bravery and potential. Furthermore, Finn recited Bell's bravery as the battle cry when the going got tough in their own battles. This further reinforced Bell's image as someone worthy of respect.

The continued maintenance of the relationships was critical for future plans. In particular, the sharing of Bell's resistance to mind-control requires very strong emotional ties. Hermes had to nurture the initial respect and transform it into the total trust and devotion needed for Bell to be accepted as the leader.

Fortunately, Finn and Riveria should be easy to work with. Beyond recanting Bell's bravery as the battle cry, Finn had the logical mind to see through Bell's role in the Zenos situation. He knew there was more to Bell when he dared to fight against all odds with the Loki familia. Thus, his orders were to capture the Xenos and avoid killing them. The Xenos battle also earned Finn's respect as Bell and his friends were able to help the Xenos escape, overcoming the Loki familia's attempts to capture the Xenos. When time comes for Bell to take a leadership role, Hermes realizes Finn would be supportive as the tactician on the battlefield. Of course, fighting a few battles together would go a long way in building the trust between Bell and Finn.

Hermes knew Riveria is extremely wise and would support the rise of the new generation to take the leadership role. She was already training Leifya to be her successor. Furthermore, Riveria was instrumental in instructing Ais to take the initiative with Bell to jump start their relationship. Teasing Ais publicly was an absolute brilliant move in helping Ais overcome her inexperience and her shyness. Similar to the situation with Finn, fighting a few battles together would go a long way in building the trust between Bell and Riveria. However, Hermes needed to figure out a way for Bell and Riveria to reach a deeper relationship in order to maximize the defense against mind-control powers of the Black Dragon. Obviously this would be very awkward for Riveria because she thinks of Ais as her princess daughter.

Hermes also realized that Gareth should not be a big obstacle to overcome, even though he was not in the audience during Bell's battle with the minotaur. The fact that Finn effectively used Bell as the symbol in his rallying cry certainly did not hurt Bell's reputation with Gareth. Furthermore, Bell's audacity in fighting with the Loki familia in the Xenos battle actually earned Gareth's respect. In the last analysis, if Riveria and Finn trusted Bell, then Gareth would likely be in agreement. As with both Riveria and Finn, fighting a few battles together would go a long way in building the trust between Bell and Gareth.

Managing Tiona and Tione should also be rather straight forward. Both watched Bell's fight with the minotaur, and were already convinced of Bell's bravery and potential. Both also had a sisterly-relationship with Ais. Even if they enjoyed teasing and snuggling up to Bell the argonaut, it was mostly in fun and actually drove Ais even closer to Bell from jealousy. Their level of support was obvious. During the Apollo war games, both helped Ais fooled the rest of the Loki familia in order for Bell to get the necessary training. Their view of Bell actually became even more favorable during the Xenos battle. When they saw that Wienne protected the orphan with her body, they realized that Bell was right and their familia were wrong. Hermes was developing a plan that involved joint training between all 3 of them to further cement a unique intimate relationship. Hermes would suggest to the sisters to show Bell their Falna if Bell will show them his Falna. Hermes had great freedom to operate because even if they became smitten with Bell, they would still defer to Ais at the end due to their sisterly love.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

For Hermes, Bell's relationships with Bete would be far more challenging to manage. Bete viewed Bell as his competitor for Ais' affections. Even if he realized that his cause was hopeless at the end, it was difficult to accept. A lot more effort and planning would be needed to bring Bete into the necessary relationship with Bell.

Bete had a long-term crush on Ais, though obviously with no success. Despite Bete's angry wolf act and drunk dog act, Hermes realized that Bete is an extremely quick study in the game of personal interactions. That is probably due to his prior romantic failures that contributed to significant angst and over-analysis. When Bete first teased Ais about the tomato boy, he was already seething with jealousy due to Ais' defense of Bell. When Ais refused to answer his question about choosing between Bete and the tomato boy, even the drunk Bete realized that the tomato boy may be the one Ais has been waiting for. When he saw Bell defeated the minotaur, he realized Bell's incredible potential. To make matters worse, Bell's fighting style was somewhat similar to Bete, making Bell a likely a superior version of Bete in every way.

While building a positive relationship between Bell and Bete seemed hopeless, Hermes realized that a couple important factors worked to his advantage. First, Bete had developed a strong respect for Bell. The fight with the minotaur really impressed Bete, and Bell's rate of growth was obvious to Bete. Bete knew that it would only be a matter of time before Bell surpassed him. Second, Bete is an honest person. He told Bell that Bell was getting ahead of himself when he fought in the bar with the Apollo familia. In his way, he was trying to give Bell good advice. Hermes realized that Bete would continue to be an honest broker with Bell. Furthermore, Bete would support Ais even though it would be to his own detriment. When Bete saw Ais turned her back on Bell and Wienne to 'let them go', he did not interfere. Bete simply asked Ais if that was the right decision, and he went along with her decision. That actually earned Bete a rare thanks from Ais. To move the relationship forward, Hermes realized that if Bell would sacrifice himself for Bete, Bete would be so moved that he would sacrifice himself for Bell. Thus, the key would be to get Bell and Bete together in huge battles against strong opponents.

The most difficult team member to work with would be Leifya. At the same time, the reincarnation of the Elf queen is very critical to the team. She had the potential to match or even surpass Riveria in magic.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Being the reincarnation of the Elf queen, Leifya is extremely important to the mission. She had the potential to match or even surpass Riveria in magic, as her Elf Ring magic allows her to copy the magic of other Elves. Furthermore, her rare Mage ability improves power, increases range and efficiency of her magic use.

The problem is that Leifya is extremely attached to Ais. Thus, Hermes realized that he had his work cut out for him. As a result, Hermes devised a daring strategy - shock treatment. While it may seem cruel, Hermes decided that it was important for Leifya to realize that Bell will be the clear undeniable winner of Ais' affections. To break it to Leifya and make it clear that the outcome is already decided, a number of coincidences resulted in Leifya witnessing Bell and Ais embracing each other. The shock had the desired effect as Leifya collapsed shortly after the event. While Hermes was ruthless, he did not go overboard as Leifya did not witness the lap pillow ritual or the joint sleep practice. Fortunately, Ais independently explained away the embrace as Ais helping Bell walk after an intense training session. Thus, Hermes was able to finesse the situation after inserting the dagger. While leaving room and time for Leifya to adjust her expectations, Leifya has become aware of the Bell relationship and the probable eventuality with the ultimate consummation of the relationship between Bell and Ais.

With the successful execution of the shock treatment, the next step was to develop a healthy relationship between Leifya and Bell. Obviously, the beginning would be difficult as the loser had to face the winner for Ais' affections. The initial plan would establish Bell's promise and bravery as a means to change Leifya's views towards Bell. Unfortunately, it was not possible for Leifya to witness Bell's victory over the minotaur. Without the benefit of that special experience, a coincidence resulted in Bell and Leifya having to fight a difficult battle on the 18th floor. After the battle, Ais noticed that Leifya and Bell had gotten closer, much to the delight of Hermes.

Hermes realized that a replacement had to be developed as the object of Leifya's affections. He met with the God Dionysus to discussed some possible options. After their meeting, Hermes and Dionysus were happy with the developing relationship between Leifya and Filvis. At Dionysus' suggestion, Filvis started spending more time together with Leifya. When Ais had to adjust her schedule with Leifya to train Bell, Filvis actually filled in for Ais to train Leifya in concurrent spelling casting.

While his strategy seemed to be executing flawlessly, Hermes did not allow Leifya to forget about the shock treatment. In Apollo's party, Hermes helped arranged for Ais and Bell to share their first dance together for all to see. Hermes also continued to emphasize Bell's potential and bravery, as mirrors were deployed all over Orario to show everyone in Orario the details of the Apollo war games. Leifya was able to see for herself Bell's stunning hero strike that leveled the throne room in an abandoned castle and Bell's one-on-one victory against someone a level higher with more battle experience. By this point, Leifya probably realized that Bell may soon become Ais' hero and Ais would be the one who would stand by his side.

Eventually, to extend Bell's mind-control protection to Leifya, a close relationship must be developed between Bell and Leifya. Hermes has not decided on the strategy to accomplish such a twist in events. He could not turn it into revenge against Ais because it would undercut the overall trust of the team. Hermes realized that the ultimate strategy would involve Bell risking his life to protect Leifya in a situation where the two are alone in a difficult fight. One idea may be to send the two on a mission involving the Bali familia. Perhaps an underwater adventure needs to be undertaken again to investigate potential entrances to the dungeon and to Knossos. In such a dangerous underwater mission, one may nearly drown and require resuscitation.

Hermes promised Zeus that he will undertake the herculean task of being the team relationships manager. To date, his plans appear to be on track. At the end of the day, the team is now essentially back together and heading in the right direction. To put together the necessary defense abilities while retaining the strong emotions needed to power Bell's growth, Hermes will continue to require cooperation and sacrifice from different players.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

While Freya and Hermes were tasked with developing Bell's skills and ensuring his relationships achieved the necessary synchronization with team members, Zeus and Hestia had the responsibility to nurture Bell from a scared inexperienced bunny to a confident and powerful leader.

Zeus took care of Bell since he was a young child. Beyond the bare essentials, Zeus needed to instill the importance of being a hero and to provide Bell with a role model befitting the role Bell may soon take. First, Bell was educated in the classics including Dungeon Oratoria. Bell was also taught the concept of the romantic hero and the need to take huge risks to achieve the desired end result. In addition, the romantic concept of a saving ladies in a dungeon was instilled in Bell, as well as the potential benefits that come along with such a life style. This education was central to activating the key element important for defeating the Black Dragon. The concept of the romantic hero also perfectly matched Ais' desires to be saved by her hero. Thus, their future partnership was set up since the beginning.

Second, after Bell was transferred to Hestia, Zeus continued to perform his role from afar. That included appearing to Bell during pivotal moments for rapid advancement. This included those precious moments during the joint sleep practice with Ais. Zeus appealed to Bell and strongly urged him to take maximum advantage of the situation. As Zeus tried to explain, Ais would be very disappointed if Bell failed to act. This added to the dramatic tension of the situation, further enhancing Bell's emotional reservoir needed for his continued growth.

While Zeus provided the paternal role model, Hestia's primary role was maternal nurturing. Training under Hestia provided Bell 24-hours-per-day one-on-one attention. As a result, Bell's status was constantly monitored and updated, and Hestia also armed Bell with the Hestia Knife that automatically adapts its ability with Bell's skyrocketing abilities. Emotionally, Hestia was totally committed to push Bell forward by helping him feel confident with his evolving powers. By ruthless teasing Bell and then encouraging Bell to deliver on this heroic aspirations, Hestia boosted Bell's confidence to reach his lofty goals.

Hestia was well aware of her long-term prospects with Bell, as she could see the importance of Bell's partnership with Ais. She knew that the match was necessary as it would maximize the team's firepower and defensive abilities. While Hestia could readily see her role becoming the 2nd best girl, she kept her hopes alive for the possibility that Bell will choose her in the end after the war is over. Whether it was losing Bell to Apollo or to Ais, Hestia would also always choose in favor of Bell's welfare in her unusual but maternal demeanor.

This concludes the 1st phase of the story, as all the key players have done their job in reconstituting and improving the elite team. The 2nd phase will continue to follow Bell and the rest of the team as they prepare for the ultimate showdown, as well as intermediate enemies whom must also be dealt with.

Thank you for reading.


End file.
